Spring brought some resolution, more excitement and more questions to the 2016 SEC quarterback races.
Let’s sort it out.
Done deals
Arkansas: Bret Bielema named Austin Allen the starter and said the competition wasn’t as close as many expected it to be.
Kentucky: Drew Barker fought off JUCO transfer Stephen Johnson II and won the starting job with an impressive spring. Barker bounced back from a couple of poor throws with a couple of big ones in the spring game. That’s encouraging because quick strikes have been missing from Kentucky’s offense.
LSU: It was Brandon Harris’ job to lose and he didn’t lose it. His spring game stats weren’t otherwordly — he threw for just 106 yards — but the Tigers as a whole threw it 40 times.
Ole Miss: Chad Kelly is the surest quarterback bet in the SEC and he’ll try to become the first in league history to throw for 4,000 yards twice in a career. His spring injury, however, gave touted recruit Shea Patterson extra snaps. Helpful because, eventually, the job will be his.
Tennessee: Joshua Dobbs is the second-surest quarterback bet in the SEC and he’ll try to lead the Vols to their first SEC East championship since 2007.
Texas A&M: Trevor Knight, a former starter at Oklahoma, edged Jake Hubenak for the Aggies’ starting job. Knight’s experience, quick delivery and quick feet are ideal for the Aggies’ up-tempo spread attack.
Favorite has emerged
Florida: Luke Del Rio outplayed his competition, most notably Purdue transfer Austin Appleby, this spring. Jim McElwain hasn’t named Del Rio the starter, but it’s certainly trending in that direction.
Missouri: Drew Lock hasn’t been named the starter, and the staff continues to say that Marvin Zanders is legitimately in the mix. Missouri is in a familiar situation in that Lock is the better, more experienced passer, Zanders in the better athlete. Lock showed off his arm in the spring game, throwing two touchdown passes. It will be an upset if he doesn’t win the job.
.@DrewLock23 hits @jmon_moore for 6! pic.twitter.com/dl23MeaLIH
— ROCK M NATION (@RockMNation) April 16, 2016
South Carolina: Brandon McIlwain energized the fan base and impressed the coaching staff. And not just with a sparkling performance in the spring game. It’s worth noting that he did that when Perry Orth was out because of an injury. Orth will be back to compete for his job when fall camp opens, but it will difficult to change the momentum that McIlwain has built.
Vanderbilt: Derek Mason has said the race will continue into fall camp, but Kyle Shurmur is such a heavy favorite it seems like all that’s missing is the official announcement. Not only did Shurmur end last season as the starter, he had the best spring.
To be determined …
Alabama: Erase the A-Game. Please. Quickly. That was so bad Blake Barnett seemingly hid behind Nick Saban to avoid one rush. Truth is, Barnett had to steal the show during the spring, and he didn’t. Short of that, experience matters most to Saban, and that gives Cooper Bateman the edge heading into fall camp. Dual threat candidate Jalen Hurts, however, offers a fascinating change of pace.
Auburn: Who knows which way Gus Malzahn is leaning? The spring — and spring game — only reinforced everything (good and bad) we thought about the candidates. Sean White appears to be in the wrong system. Jeremy Johnson offers some run, some pass but still isn’t very consistent. And John Franklin III is a much, much faster version of Treon Harris.
Georgia: Hello, Jacob Eason. Eason had the strongest spring performance — and it wasn’t close. It also wasn’t a real football setting, but why rain details on a coming out party. Kirby Smart has a decision to make: Play it safe and lean on the running game and defense (i.e., just like he learned at Alabama) as long as you’re in contention, or go with the young gun-slinger knowing mistakes are part of the process.
Mississippi State: Since the day Dak Prescott left, Dan Mullen has said this competition will be decided in fall camp. Nothing this spring changed his mind. Ask three people, you might get three answers as for who is leading the race. Only Mullen knows at this point and soon he’ll have to decide between Nick Fitzgerald (last year’s backup), Damian Williams (2014 backup) and Elijah Staley (the best athlete in the group). And it’s probably unwise to discount Nick Tiano, even if only for specialty packages.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
